Sparks
Sparks was an alchoholic energy drink that debut in the US market in 2002. The original formulation contained caffeine, one of the first alcoholic beverages to do so. Its other original active ingredients included taurine, ginseng and guarana, common to energy drinks. Packaged in a can, its labeling states a 6% alcoholic content by volume. Its flavor is similar to other energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Rockstar, with a tart, sugary taste. It was packaged in 16oz silver cans with bright orange tops, with a "+" printed near the top and a "-" printed near the bottom, intended to be reminiscent of a battery. Sparks came to the attention of the Cloverdoo faction in the spring of '06. Will Welles , a staunch sparks activits, claims he learned of the drink from AD brother Will Flannigan. Other Cloverdoos cite concurrent but unrelated origin stories. Sparks became a popular drink among the Cloverdoos. In Fall of '08 Will Welles convinced the little pub to restock the beverage after they had decided that no one wanted it. The pup manager later said that Will is "basically the only person to ever buy it." Sparks could be found at the Nice and Easy (Nice and Sleazey) and came in Orange (original), Black (plus), and blue (light) versions. But orange was the prefered version for those with sophisticated palates. Sparks became the official drink of Gay D and was always a staple drink at their events and intergalactic keggers. Sparks played a pivotal role in the Jamie Liddell show of 2006, as most everyone in attendance chugged at least three. The show was great, but the dance party afterwards was even better. Will upon graduation morning, after the gay D party the night before, found that the only alchohol not drunk was 1 can of sparks. He has kept it to this day, it is one of the few Gay D artifacts still in existence. In fall 2008, San Francisco and 13 other states sued the producers of sparks. The lawsuit resulted in a rebranding and a removal of the critical ingredients Caffine, Taurine, and Guarana. This was seen as the death of the original sparks. The original version was to be pulled from stores on new years of that year. Will Welles who at the time was nearly alone in New York and losing his soul bought about 145 original sparks. He would travel to bodegas where he heard rumor of the beverage and buy our their entire supply and then transport it back to his upper east side apartment. Soon his cabinets were filled only with sparks. Will's plan was to drink one a month, if he did so they would last until he was 33 his conservative age for marriage. He now drinks fewer than that instead saving them for special occasions. He also gives one to Dave Moroney and one to Winston every year for their joint birthday party. Will is thought to have the largest stockpile of original sparks in the world. He is as fiercely proud of this and fiercely protective of his sparks.